


the memories torturing my head

by fannishtendencies



Series: Metamy Fics By Me [2]
Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic The Hedgehog (All Media Types)
Genre: F/M, First Dance, First Date, First Kiss, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other, death tw, fluff until chapter four, not sure if its actually going to have violent descriptions but just in case, prequel to my first metamy fic: its all a dream (wake up amy), then its MEGA ANGST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24599782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannishtendencies/pseuds/fannishtendencies
Summary: Three looks into how Amy fell for Metal Sonic. One look on how it all ended.Or: prequel to my first metamy fic, its all a dream (wake up, amy). Sad ending, but fluff first through third chapters.First chapter: the perfect date.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Metal Sonic, Knuckles the Echidna/Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: Metamy Fics By Me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778257
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. the perfect date

**Author's Note:**

> heya! i'm back with more metamy. 
> 
> obviously, i was inspired by my own fic, and decided to expand on this universe. note that this fic's final chapter will NOT be happy, referring to the end of my previous fic. 
> 
> one last thing! At the start of each chapter, a little box of text will be there in these [ ]. that's a quote from the original fic. now, onwards!

~°~°~°~

_ [Them, sitting in the middle of Mehburger, both slurping down a large-size smoothie. Amy telling jokes and Metal not quite getting them, but laughing anyway, really and truly laughing. Sonic and his dates, Knuckles and Shadow, sitting across and having a ball as well.] _

~°~°~°~

**_The perfect date._ **

Amy skillfully selected a few outfits out of her wardrobe, placing them on the bed. She carefully scrutinized each one: a silky baby blue dress and matching bow, a black and pink tuxedo she had gotten from Sonic on her birthday, and a green crop top and orange shorts.

She picked up the dress, making a face. "Too doll-like." She flung it back into the open closet door, picking up the tux. "Too formal."  _ Fling.  _ "That leaves…"

She hurried, mismatched heels clacking against her wooden floor, to her audience: Sticks, Sonic, and Sonic's boyfriends, Shadow and Knuckles. Sticks because she was Amy's best girl-friend, Sonic because he claimed to be a fashionista, and Knuckles and Shadow for emotional support. Tails was noticeably absent from the group, instead helping Amy's date.

Just  _ thinking  _ about her date with Metal Sonic gave Amy shivers. Not _bad_ shivers - like back when they were enemies - but good shivers. Excitement shivers. She held up the winning outfit.

"Agh! Kill it with fire!" Sticks screamed. She grabbed Sonic by the waist and held him up like a cat, ready to throw him at any moment. "Sonic! Use Homing Attack!"

"This isn't your video game, Sticks." Sonic gave a dramatic,  _ exasperated  _ sigh, and wriggled his way out of the badger's death grip. Turning to Amy, he furrowed his brow in concentration. "Could be a bit peppier, but that can easily be fixed with some accessories. How are you gonna do your quills? I'd suggest an updo, maybe a bun."

Amy raised a hand, gesturing for him to slow down. "Whoa, hold your horses. I'll admit, I didn't expect you to have  _ this  _ much of an opinion."

The blue blur shrugged. "You're my friend. Plus, we're going on a doubleish date. I don't want to be embarrassed."

Amy resisted the urge to pummel him with a pillow. Her eyes slid over to Knuckles and Shadow. "Well? Any ideas?"

Knuckles gave her a thumbs up, too occupied with playing on her Playground console against Shadow, in some sort of violent game she was probably against (but played in secret to vent). Shadow didn't even give her a sideway glance, entirely too focused on winning and shouting at Sticks, who was cheering loudly into his ear distractedly.

The pink hedgehog sighed. "Alright, fine. Sonic, can you do my hair after I get dressed?"

Sonic gave her a nod, toes tapping and eyes flicking towards the Playground. He gave her a sheepish grin.

If she still had a crush on him, she would've blushed, maybe. Twirled her quills a bit. But that time was over, and she was over him too. Romantically, at least.

"You can play until then." Amy rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a grin. She still loved him just as mucu before; only more platonically. "Go ahead." He jumped into the game, immediately shouting cuss words at his friends, and Amy could only shake her head and sigh playfully.

~°~°~°~

Amy's perfect date, way back when she had a crush on Sonic, was at the beach. She would be wearing her flowy floral dress, and she and Sonic would be too focused on each other to notice anyone else. They'd spend the whole day playing in the sand and the water, with no Eggman interruptions, and when the sun dipped into the sea, they would sit together, overlooking the ocean. Sonic would say something sweet, and their eyes would meet, lips closing the gap between them…

So it would probably surprise past!Amy that future!Amy was going on her first date with  _ Metal Sonic,  _ of all Mobians.

She remembered when he had asked her out. It had appeared emotionless, but Amy knew well enough that the robot was nervous; he kept wringing his hands together, like he could physically grapple with his words, shape them to perfection. "I have noticed that you are without a mate," he started.

It was pretty obvious where the conversation was going after that. Still, Amy blushed. "M - Mate?" _Of course he picked mate, like soulmate or animal mate... he thinks logically. But... why me?_

They had bonded over their therapy sessions, of course. She spent more time with him then any other patient, but still... did she really want to go on a date with the robot clone of her former crush?

A small part of her said no. Another part was unsure. But the majority said to give it a shot. At worst, she would be awfully awkward. At best...

Well.

"....yes. And, per courting tradition, I would like to…" He seemed unsure how to best phrase his next words.  _ It was cute. Because of course he's cute. A cute guy, asking me out. Chaos. _

Amy, in her blushy frenzy, tried to get the awkwardness over in as little time as possible and think it over alone. AKA: "Oh-you-mean-you-want-to-take-me-out-on-a-date-sure-I-mean-yeah-I'd-totally-go-out-with-you-okay-meet-me-at-Mehburger-okay-byeeee-" and then running off before another word could be said.

Later that day, another (admittedly less awkward) conversation was held, and that one secured the details: Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow, who were already dating, wanted to do a doubleish (Sonic's words) date, partly because they didn't fully trust the robot, and partly because they just wanted to go on a date. It would be at Mehburger, a public place where Metal couldn't start anything without alerting someone, and after they got something to eat, they'd go do something after. (The conversation had gone downwards in quality, with Amy barely managing to get out a sentence, and so the "something" in question was undecided.)

~°~°~°~

"Alright, Amy, get it together," Amy told herself for the fifth time in a minute. She hadn't expected the butterflies in her stomach to be so… wild. Almost like an Eggman bot gone wrong, as they always did: biting at everything and swallowing, without even chewing. 

Smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles out of her skirt, she walked into the Mehburger plaza, taking in the average burger smell with every breath. It was cheesy, but Amy had a soft spot for the place, even after she had opened an opposing restaurant; despite their mediocre food and terrible customer service, Amy almost always made good memories here.

She just hoped this would be a good memory, too.

It wasn't hard to spot the robot. The fluorescent lightbulbs spotlighted him, his freshly painted body reflecting the rays with ease. His new modifications, via Tails, were also noticeable: he now had a mouth, his eyes could move and express his feelings more clearly, and his ears could swivel. It wasn't a perfect imitation of a live hedgehog, but Amy pushed the thoughts aside. She was here for  _ him _ , whatever he looked like.

_ Though, it doesn't have to romantically. Only if you want it to be. _

_ Do I want it to be? _

She shook the roaming thoughts from her head.

"Hey." She plopped into her seat. Sonic was absent, as were his partners, and for a moment a panic overtook her. Her fingers twitched for her hammer; and her eyes darted. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself.  _ Even if this goes terribly, I'm here for Metal. _

"Salutations," greeted Metal, and Amy giggled. It was very gentleman-like, but also uncanny, coming out from Metal's mouth. _How does bend like that? Isn't metal... hard?_ "I hope you find my courting viable."

Amy smiled. "Same. What do you want to order?"

Metal's brow scrunched. _Again. How did Tails do this? Make an evil robot turn so cute..._ "I… I'm not sure if the fox cub gave me a digestive system."

_Not that he could only be good if he was cute. Wait... what did he say??? Oh. Uh._

"Well."  _ How the heck am I supposed to answer that?  _ Amy tried to think back to all the dating magazines she read. None of them exactly had a target audience of "robot dating girl", but a piece of advice rose to her mind: _tell a joke to lighten the mood, if there's nothing else._

As she flipped through the menu, Amy decided it'd be better then silence. "Okay, so wanna hear a joke?"

"A… joke?"

"Yeah."

"Very well." His voice betrayed no emotion, but his mouth was twitching upwards, a sign that Amy was heading the conversation in the right direction.

"A bear walks into a bar. He says to the bartender, "Can I have… a pineapple juice?" 

The bartender goes, "Why the big pause?"

The bear looks down, thoughtful. He responds, "I dunno, I was born with them."" Amy finished, snickering. It was a classic. She stopped, though, when she heard a clanking sound, something that sent her senses into overdrive. It was a telltale sign of Eggman: metal scraping against metal in a scrappy robot. 

Then, she realized as her eyes focused on the source of the sound, it wasn't Eggman at all. That sound was also, in fact, the sound of Metal  _ laughing. _

It wasn't full-on laughing, of course; it seemed to mimic Amy's snickers more then anything. Metal promptly shut up when he saw Amy had stopped. "Why are you no longer happy?"

"I'm still happy, Metal," Amy reassured the robot. _He has trouble understanding facial cues._ It was one of the first notes she'd made in her therapy notebook. "I was just interested in your laugh."

Metal avoided Amy's eyes, which signaled his discomfort. "Do you… do you not like it?" It was a genuine question; without much outside influence and a horrible father figure, Metal did not know much about how social interaction worked. 

"No! That's not it at all. I just…" Amy needed to word the next part well. "Did you actually think the joke was funny? I mean, you only laughed when I did." _Maybe not the best way to articulate it, but it'll do._

Metal pondered this for a few moments. "I laughed because you laughed," he said finally. "I guess I found  _ you  _ funny." He rubbed his hands together, still not meeting his date's eyes.

Amy smiled softly, fiddling with a few loose spines from her updo. _Who knew he could be so sweet?_ "Awww. Listen, if you need me to explain - "

" **_Ahem_ ** ."

Amy and Metal both whipped around. Dave stood there, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "May I take your order?"

"Oh,  _ sorry _ , Dave," Amy snipped. "Just trying to have fun with my  _ date. _ " Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Metal's pupils widen like a cat's. "I'll have an extra large smoothie, with a Mehburger and extra fries."

When Dave grumbled and left, Metal spoke up. "You apologized even though you did nothing wrong."

"I was being sarcastic, Metal. The inflection on sorry implies I didn't  _ really  _ mean it, but instead meant the opposite, or something different." Amy clasped her hands together to resist the urge to play more with her quills, lest the updo fall out of place. "Sorry, I know I ramble."

Metal's mouth slid into a smile, and however uncanny it looked on his face, Amy couldn't help but feel the rush of heat and flutter of butterflies she knew well. "I like it when you talk."

The two smiled at each other, not breaking eye contact.

Amy's eye twitched.  _ When can I move? When he moves? He's a robot! Agh, note to self: if I date this guy, absolutely no staring contests. _

_ If.  _

"The **party's** here!"

_Aaaaaand_ there Sonic was.

Bumping shoulders in greeting with Amy, he nodded at Metal and kissed Knuckles on the cheek, causing the echnida to laugh and drop Shadow, who had been riding on Knuckles' shoulders. 

"Knuckles!" Shadow protested from the ground. He blinked a few times; like he had gone to sleep on his big boyfriend.

"Sorry, Shads." In one fell swoop, he picked both boyfriends up, one in each arm. "How have I not been dating you guys for so long?!"

Sonic shrugged, and quickly shushed Amy, who was about to go off. "Yeah, yeah, cisheteropatriarchy, that's not for this fic. Quickly, Sir Knuckles!" Sonic mock swooned. "To table number seven!"

Knuckles imitated airplane noises. Shadow shouted something, but, being true to a real airplane, Amy couldn't make it out over the Knuckles. Still, as soon as they were out of earshot, she burst out laughing, Metal following suit.

"Those goofballs. A-ny-way."

"Anyway." _Oh gosh he's cute oh gosh he's cute oh -_

Amy desperately wished she could think up another joke, but her mind drew empty. Luckily - and she never thought she'd say this  _ ever _ \- Dave came to the rescue, dropping the smoothies on the table with unnecessary force. "Here is your food," he said in a quiet monotone, which, well, was pretty much his normal voice.

At this, Metal pushed up, excusing himself. He dashed off as soon as he thought Amy wasn't looking, though  _ of course _ Amy was looking, they were on a  _ date _ for Chaos' sake. A million thoughts ran through her head -  _ is he with someone else, maybe he went to the bathroom, no wait he's a robot, oh Chaos he is seeing someone else, no wait he's Metal he'd never -  _

"Tails told me I can drink." Amy jumped. Sometimes, she forgot how fast he was, which was kind of weird considering the fact that he was, oh, the clone of the fastest being on Mobius. 

"Do you want me to order you a smoothie?"

Metal nodded. As if it was an afterthought, he also grabbed Amy's hand.

Amy, being the overanalyser that she was, immediately began taking notes: the head was made of some kind of plastic; no longer were his fingers sharp knife-like weapons. Now, they were  _ life-like.  _ Ha. She said it aloud, and when, for the third time, she got to hear Metal's laugh, she decided she wanted to hear it for a long time. 


	2. the perfect dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A perfect dance, between robot and hedgehog. Transphobia mention/implied, trans amy rights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha! I lived bitch! 
> 
> Yes, I've had the chapters sitting in my docs, waiting. Yes, I will post two chapters. No, the final chapter is not done, but here ya go! More Metamy!

[Them, taking the Tornado out for a spin, just the two of them. Sunset was upon the little island, but flying over the ocean gave Amy the feeling of freedom, and Metal simply liked being there with her, piloting the airplane absentmindedly. They figured out that Tails had rigged it with a spycam, and Metal had to save the fox from a chokehold that they'd laugh about (halfheartedly in Tail's case) later.]

_ The perfect dance. _

It was only their fifteenth date. And yet, Amy still felt that adrenaline in her veins when she saw Metal Sonic. 

Running up to him, she flung her arms around his thin neck. "Met!"

"You never tire of doing that, do you?" Metal, or Met, as Amy (and only Amy) called him, grinned. "I am overjoyed to see you too."

Amy took his hand in hers, returning the grin. "This'll be so much fun! I've never ridden in the X-Tornado without Tails."

"That's why you've got to take care of her," said aforementioned fox cub, patting the vehicle as though it were an old friend. "She's precious. Don't leave her alone for more than five minutes. And check in soon!"

Amy chuckled, ruffling the cub's head fur playfully. "Don't worry, Tails. We'll take good care of her." She frowned, annoyed at herself for ruining the look, and began fixing it up again. "We're not leaving for Barbados. We're just taking her for a spin. Got it?"

Tails nodded, glancing at the plane one last time before hurrying out of the launching area. Metal hopped into the front seat, tapping a few buttons and then plugging his index finger into a hook. His entire body shut down, looking limp, and for a second Amy's breath hitched. He looked dead… it was frightening.

"Amy? Amy, can you hear me?"

Met's voice came from the plane's speakers a little too loudly. Amy winced. "Yeah, I can hear you, alright. Are you…?"

"I'll leave a bit of my consciousness in the plane as an autopilot. The rest will go back to my body." Metal sounded proud; it had been his idea, after all. Amy was still uncertain, even after they had talked it over.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then yes."

That didn't really make sense to the pink hedgehog, but the plane began to roll forward, and all thoughts flew out her head (ha).

Up they went, higher and higher, until they were in the clouds. Amy let out a breath she knew she had been holding. "Can you… open up?"

Metal complied, opening the glass dome that covered them both a tad. Amy slipped her fingers out of her gloves, running them under the tiny space, and took in a breath.  _ It's amazing. _

_ Beep!  _ Amy glanced sideways. Metal had powered back on, experimentally flexing his fingers. 

"How does it feel?" Amy asked, tentatively placing her hands on Metal's shoulders.

"I feel… as though I am in two places at once. My consciousness is only barely in there, but it is enough to control the plane's barest movements." He blinked, as if he had spent his days in a cave and needed to readjust to the bright light. 

"Alright. Well… I'll just be over here."  _ C'mon, Amy. You can be smoother than that. Cooler than that.  _ She grunted.  _ Ah, yes,  _ the little voice mocked her in her head.  _ That's  _ **_so_ ** _ much better. _

"Amy?"

Pulling her out of her reverie, Amy looked up. "Sorry, what?" Her hands folded themselves into her lap, as much as she wanted to slip her fingers under the window again. 

"Nothing. I just like hearing your voice."

A soft smile passed between them, Amy starting to fiddle with her skirt. "Awww, thanks, Met."

An expression of surprise formed itself on the robot's face, and Amy reviewed her words. She facepalmed mentally.  _ Amy! Get a hold of yourself! Nicknames are a sixteenth date thing, obviously! And now, Metal's going to hate you - _

"You called me Met."

"Yeah?" Amy scoffed playfully, trying to play nonchalance. "So?"

Metal thought carefully before answering. "It means a lot to me. I like… having a unique name."

It dawned upon Amy, then and there, on their fifteenth date, no less, that Metal Sonic did  _ not  _ have a unique name. And it might've been a bit damaging, mentally and emotionally.

She ran over, caught by her emotions, and grabbed his hands. "Oh, Met. I'm supposed to help - and look at me. Of course being called Metal Sonic is…" She grimaced. "...not the best experience, obviously. I'm sorry."

Metal was taken aback, head tilted ever so slightly in curiosity. "It is not your fault, Amy," he assured her. "That is what I was named. I cannot change it."

"Oh, but you can! That's the fun part." Amy rummaged around the plane's storage compartment, grabbing a blue pen and notepad. "We can make a list of potiental names! Anything you really like? Element? Color? Er… metal?"

Metal took a moment to absorb the questions, and Amy let him, watching carefully. "I like hydrogen. And silver. And alloys created to warp under heat and reform, thus creating the illusion of lifelike features."

Amy scribbled on her notepad, murmuring to herself. "Hydrogen… silver… alloys…" She nodded once, shivering with palpable excitement. "Oh, I'm so happy! I remember when I chose my name - "

"You were called a different name too?"

Amy bit her lip, quiet for once, and she realized she had shouted a bit more then she'd wanted to. "Well… yes. My parents called me a different name, but when I told them I'd wanted to change it… they kicked me out."

Heat pricked the corners of her eyes as she remembered a few not-so-great memories. A comforting palm in hers brought her back before she could fully submerge, though, and for that she was grateful. "What should I call you, until we find the perfect name?"

"Met. Or Metal."

"Simple enough." 

A fierce light poured from the window, and Amy peered outside again, a gasp escaping her mouth as she did. 

The sky was painted with a thousand colors, like a painter had lovingly stroked a canvas. The colors ran into each other, but they never lost their brightness, instead seeming better together, a hundred thousand combinations.

"This is why I wanted to come up here," Metal confessed in a whispery voice. "I went up a few times before, at just this time. See this? This is what I feel like, everytime I see you."

It was the most heartfelt thing someone had ever told her. So, she did something in return: taking up the robot's hands yet again, she lifted him up, twirling him a few times slowly. 

"W-What are you doing?" he asked her, and if he wasn't an android she was sure he'd be blushing hard by now.

"Dancing with you," she answered plainly. "It's a romantic gesture, sometimes." Step, step, step. Backwards step. It was a rhythm Metal could've studied, made algorithms for. Instead, he tried a hands-on experience, dropping one of his girlfriend's hands to put his empty hand on her waist.  _ This was how they did it in that movie, right? _

"Am I doing it?"

"Of course. There's no right or wrong way to dance, Met." The nickname rolled off her tongue delightfully easy. She began humming a song to herself.

_ Peace and love on the planet Earth… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3 reading without kudos/commenting is valid, but if you have the time, perhaps leave one? Have a nice day ~


	3. the perfect kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The perfect kiss, shared on a sunset beach, and the conversation that led up to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly shorter than the others, but hopefully still packing a punch! and if you read my previous fic, well... you know what happens next chapter *eyes emoji*

[And last, but not least, them. Sitting on the beach. Talking about everything, then about nothing, and a bit about the between, too. Hand in hand, neither letting go for even a moment. Metal says something, and Amy questions it. They lean in for the perfect movie kiss...]

_ The perfect kiss. _

The waves lapped at her bare feet. Drink in hand, she smiled when Metal had come up to her. "Heya, Met."

"Hello, Amy." Metal plopped down. Tails had really done it; sometimes, Amy couldn't tell the metal from the hedgehog; not that it mattered to her. She was happy if he was happy.

And Metal  _ was  _ happy. After nearly six months of therapy lessons and dating Amy, he had talked more often, made villager friends, and even helped the village find a new island to head to in the winter, which was coming soon. It was fertile, despite the snow, and it would be Amy's first white New Year's.

Amy had an idea of what she wanted to do, now. Before, she had felt confined to the island, to the village, and even to her friends (the villagers were actually quite unsupportive from time to time, so she relied on Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Sticks and Shadow). But with the advancements Tails and others were making, soon she would be able to fly a plane herself - and explore the world.

She hardly considered herself adventurous. Before, she only battled Eggman to bond with Sonic, and then to keep the village safe. It was routine she hadn't known she was tired of until now, when a whole new world was waiting for them. She wanted to feel the wind in her spines, and she wanted to meet new people and places. 

The others had plans now too. Knuckles wanted to find out where he had come from, seeing as there weren't many other echidnas on their island. Shadow wanted to help people with his powers, and Sonic wanted to go with the both of them. The blue blur himself was actually more willing to settle down, though he only admitted it aloud to Amy, but he'd go wherever his boyfriends went. Tails wanted to meet up with his own friends, and revel in new technology together. And Sticks - well, Sticks wasn't fond of Tails' tech, so currently she wanted to stay on the island, but Amy knew she'd eventually contradict herself and go anyway. 

But Metal…

Metal wanted to stay on the island. He'd wanted to keep protecting the village from Eggman, or so he said. Amy and him had a fight over it earlier, but taking one look at his face softened her significantly.

"Why do you have to go?"

Amy took Metal's hand in hers. "I can't keep living like this. Not when there's a whole world out there, waiting for me. It's like… it pulls me toward it. It gives me questions without answers, just dangling like bait."

Metal squeezed, and Amy could feel his heartbeat.  _ Scarily real.  _ "I want to know, too. But…"

"But what?"

"But what if…" Metal's brow scrunched up, frustrated. "What if everyone hates me? It took so long for the villagers to accept me, for Sonic and Knuckles and - for you," he added quietly. 

"Met - "

"Robots are not supposed to gain sentience, Amy. They will fear me, they will… I don't know. I am… scared, I guess?" He turned, looking her straight in the eye. "I am scared to be seen as less than real."

Amy took hold of both of his hands now, staring back just as hard. "You have me. And you will always have me, and our friends. You are real, Met. You are real."

The tension was relaxing between them, and as if to prolong this moment, Metal asked, "Can you prove it? Can you prove my reality?"

And Amy answered, "Yes." And she leaned forward, and kissed him.

His metal lips were warm to the touch. She let one hand go, gently touching his face, as though he were as fragile as glass. With the other hand, she felt his heartbeat slow down, calmed. 

The sunset glowed on the ocean, casting light onto the dark ocean. Amy walked, hand in hand, with her robot boyfriend, exchanging kisses every so often. A smile, a rare, soft smile, slid onto his face. Amy thought of everything they were going to do together, all the journeys they would take.

And how she would cherish each moment, like it was her last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 thank you and gn ~ <3


	4. the imperfect death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With an impending threat, Metal sacrifices everything to save Amy's future. Angst, as promised. Major Character Death. Minor Character Death too, maybe? 
> 
> Ah well. All good things must come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhhh angst. why angst. I need more metamy fluff but then I write this. mostly bc i need to finish this fic. ah well.

[Metal, lying in her arms, bent and broken in so many places. Eyes flickering out, and sparks fizzling all around them.]

_ The ~~im~~ perfect death. _

**It happened fast. So fast. Too fast.**

One moment, they had been there, in Mehburger, talking about the new island they were migrating to. Knuckles was laughing at something Shadow said, which then prompted Sonic to say something competitive, and then the two both started telling horrible jokes that had Knuckles lying on the ground, laughing to death. Tails and Sticks were at it again, debating whether the advancement of technology was pure evil or not. And Amy and Metal were occasionally joining in, but mostly just giggling and eating their fill.

The next moment, Eggman attacked.

It wasn't unlike him to attack at inopportune moments, but he hadn't been attacking for at least two months. While they kept on training the first few weeks, Team Sonic had slowly started growing lazier about it, and some (read: Amy) had even thought about Eggman retiring.

_ "It was bound to happen eventually, guys." They had been playing a board game of some sort, while discussing Eggman. "Isn't he like sixty or something?" _

_ "Fifty six, actually," Sonic said as he rolled the dice, cursing his luck when he landed on Knuckles' property. The red echidna had been winning since the start, and if Sonic lost he had to do chores that week. When everyone side-eyed him, he shrugged. "What? He's my nemesis. I know a few things." _

_ "Fifty six is like, ancient in hedgehog years," Knuckles said helpfully, patting Sonic on the head. "Eggman should probably be dead right now." He shuddered. "Oh no. What if… Eggman is a GHOST?!" _

_ "I've fought off ghosts before," Shadow butted in. "I'd be able to fight him off for you." _

_ "No way! You're lying." Sonic accused. _

_ "Am not." _

_ "Are too." _

_ "Am not." _

_ "Are too." _

_ "Stop it, guys, yes, we get it, Eggman is old, moving on," Tails pushed the two apart. "The last time this happened, Sonic fell into a depression. So maybe… this isn't as bad as it could be." _

_ "But Sonic has more to be occupied with, besides Eggman," Amy commented, smirking. Shadow and Sonic glanced at each other and immediately looked away, blushing hard. _

_ "S-Shut up! Who cares about Eggman anymore, let's just -"- Sonic shouted, only to sigh when he rolled and fell on Amy's turf. "-play our game." _

"Thought I was gone, did ya?" Eggman cackled, posing dramatically, per the norm. "And I see Metal Sonic has joined your party. Thought you'd scrap him, but eh. I guess I'll just do the work for you." He aimed a robotic arm at Met, who was staring daggers at the doctor. 

"Go ahead and try, Doctor," he shouted back, easily dodging the huge swing with a quick hop. Almost like jump rope. "You can't touch me."

Infuriated, the doctor shook his fist, face tomato red. Another trademark of his. He swung again, putting more momentum into it. "Shut up!" But his arms were far too heavy, and it took a few seconds to get the momentum going. By that time, Metal Sonic was already overhead, high in the sky.

The rest of the gang were lagging, a bit slower then before. "Met! Be careful!" Amy shouted, Piko Piko hammer in hand. With a screech, Sticks immediately flanked the robot's legs, but Amy stayed back, trying to spot weaknesses to exploit. The legs were easy targets, being low to the ground and rather thin, so she went with that, hitting them fast and hard.

"Agh! Get off, you hunk of metal, get off!" Arms flailing pathetically, Eggman struggled this way and that. "Let me take over the world in peace, would you?"

This was Sonic's cue to go, "No, never!" 

It started to fall apart, then. The robot collapsed, and off went Mr. Robotnik, flying away with a flimsy rocketpack. "I'll be back!" He screamed maniacally, as always. "I'll show you  _ real  _ villainy."

Not that anyone believed him.

Huffing, everyone went home, thoroughly annoyed by Eggman's antics. Unease gnawed at Amy, but with Metal by her side, she quietly slipped it away.

~°~°~°~°~

He persisted a lot faster then anyone expected. Harder. For the first time, Eggman seemed to be driven. His robots were rivaling Sonic's speed now, no longer the weak things they were when he first started attacking.

Knuckles and Amy couldn't simply punch them down. Sticks had to scream louder and louder to distract them, until she lost her voice. More frequently, she was asked to stay behind on team missions. Nobody dared tell her why, despite Amy's protests.

But Metal had the time of his life. It was revenge, plain and simple, for everything the doctor had put him through. He was on the good guys side, and so the damages he did were collateral, pushed to the side.

But people were beginning to talk about him. And not in a good way.

_ He's a killing machine, _ someone whispered to another, and when Amy shot them a look they both slid away.

_ He hasn't reformed, I mean, isn't Robotnik's best plan always fake redemption? _

_ Please. Like I'd trust a robot. Sonic does what he can't a thousand times faster. _

It got under Metal's skin a lot more than he let on. After everything he did, he still couldn't grasp the people's trust. 

So when Eggman attacked with his biggest robot yet, a huge monstrosity floating in the sky, he was determined to show them he was a hero, any means necessary. Whatever the cost.

Like any robot, it was never enough to be good enough. No matter how he loved Amy and her friends, he needed, _aspired_ to be perfection. Everybody needed to love him now, like they did Sonic. Elsewise, he was a _failure_.

It all went back to his roots. The doctor mercilessly breaking him into the spirit, taunting him and teaching him the ways of inhumanity.  _ You are a robot. You are meant to be perfection. You will be a perfect copy of Sonic the Hedgehog. _

_ And you will kill him. _

He never told anyone those instructions. Not even Amy. Once he learned just how horrible, how cruel it was, he pushed it away into the deepest crook of his mind. Never to be remembered.

So he flew up to that giant blimp, mind blinking back to one perspective. Finality. Once he had finished the doctor off, he could finally rest. Then, he would live happily ever after with Amy.

_ Happy.  _ The word sent a smile to his face.

The corridors were naturally easy to navigate. Once he found the pilot room, he waited outside, listening in to what Eggman was saying.

"I need to leave as soon as possible. Why have I never thought of this before! The world is so much bigger than this tiny little village. It's time I think bigger! Mass domination! Ha!"

_ The world, bound in chains, run by Doctor Robotnik.  _

A vision took over Metal's mind, showing him destruction, and chaos, and never ending pain. Almost as if he was seeing into a future, a could-be. He saw himself, unhappy and uncaring, though he didn't look quite the same.

Was that what he would become? Another villain?

He wouldn't, _couldn't_ let it happen.

He burst into the room, firing a shot near the doctor's feet.

"Gah! What the - you!" He spat the word. "Cubot! Orbot! Get him!"

He shot the two silently, staring at the doctor intensely. Robotnik began to sweat, gripping the console board behind him tightly.

"Hold on just a minute. I'm sure we can work something out - "

But no words came out of the robots mouth. A finger was pointed, and the doctor slumped to his knees, blood spurting out of his chest. Perfect aim, right through the heart.

The blood covering his body clashed horribly with his deep blue color. Amy would not approve.

_ Amy.  _ He needed to get rid of this thing. He needed to tell her the happy news. He needed to tell her -

_ "Red alert! Red alert! Crash incoming!" _

Everything was happening in slow motion. He was moving away, away, into the hallways and out, but he couldn't escape the explosion fast enough -

\-- and he was sent flying through the air, mind hurtling, ears filled with nothing but the sound, the horrible, horrible sound, --

\-- and then all went black.

~°~°~°~°~

Amy found his body near the edge of the mountainside. 

"Met? Metal!  _ Metal!" _

The lack of response scared her, but she pushed it away, running faster and faster, legs burning. She'd been looking for three days now, and the hope in her mind sprung like a spring bloom….

...only for it to crumple when she saw his lying body. Wires were showing, as well as a hundred other things she couldn't describe, only knowing that  _ it wasn't supposed to be like this. _

"Metal," she whispered, bending down and gasping. His eyes were bleeding, real blood. They had been punctured. She held him, bruised as she was, in her arms, rocking him like a newborn.

"Amy…"

"You need to save your breath." How did she never notice it? What had Tails done to him? Why was he so, so breakable?

"I'm sorry." He coughed up blood. "Please. I love you. I took his life… for you."

"What? You killed Eggman?" The shock reverberated through her like a small earthquake.  _ He's a killing machine.  _

He grasped her fingers gently. "Yes. He's gone. He was going to… Going to take your future away. Our future."

"Metal, Met, please. Stay with me. Sonic!" She cried out. "Sticks! Shadow! Knuckles!  _ TAILS _ !"

"They won't come in time. It's too late. You barely came in time for me to tell you."

"You can't leave me! I love you, you stupid tin can! I love you so much, and if you leave…."  _ Someone. Anyone. Help us. _

"I love you too."

She saw it happen. She played it over and over in her mind, until Sonic and the rest came over. Metal's final breath. Metal's final words. Metal's eyes blinking out into nothingness.

Metal, lying in her arms, bruised and broken. Sparks flickering around them. 

She yelled. She screamed. She shouted at the body, dropping it and kicking it and running away, only to run back and start the cycle again. But she didn't cry until she saw her friend's faces.

"You weren't there for me! You weren't there and now he's gone, and it's all your fault!"

They didn't respond. Only held her tight, huddled close. She could feel the tears running down her back, hear the sobs racking their body, and her rage slowed. The tears streamed down her face, and she stopped struggling against their arms.

  
  


It'd be okay. She wasn't alone in this, this vast hole of grief, and it would be okay. They'd find a way to bring him back.

They always found a way.

~°~°~°~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) i hope you enjoyed that :)
> 
> comments and kudos are nice ~ <3

**Author's Note:**

> as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!!! <3<3<3<3


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